The relation between proximity to and characteristics of green spaces to physical activity and health: A multi-dimensional sensitivity analysis in four European cities

Cardinali, Marcel; Beenackers, Mariëlle A.; van Timmeren, Arjan; Pottgiesser, Uta

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2023.117605

Cited by 16 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 39 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Other studies have similar findings on the threshold effect. For example, the positive association of physical activity with multiple green space uses indicators reached to peak when indicators were within a 600 m buffer 61 . Zang et al also found that streetscape greenery had a positive effect on light physical activity when it ranged from 0.12 to 0.15 point, corresponding to a low level of visible greenery 58 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The urban physical exposome and leisure-time physical activity in early midlife: a FinnTwin12 study

Wang,

Aaltonen,

Teeuwen

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Leisure-time physical activity is beneficial for health and is associated with various urban characteristics. Using the exposome framework, the totality of the environment, this study investigated how urban physical environments were associated with leisure-time physical activity during early midlife. A total of 394 participants (mean age: 37, range 34-40) were included from the FinnTwin12 cohort residing in five major Finnish cities in 2020. We comprehensively curated 145 urban physical exposures at residential addresses of participants and measured three leisure-time physical activity measures: (1) total leisure-time physical activity (total LTPA) and its sub-domains (2) leisure-time physical activity without commuting activity (LTPA) and (3) commuting activity. Using K-prototypes cluster analysis, we identified three urban clusters: “original city center,” “new city center,” and “suburban”. Results from adjusted linear regression models showed that participants in the “suburban” cluster had lower levels of total LTPA (beta: -0.13, 95% CI: -0.23, -0.03) and LTPA (beta: -0.17, 95% CI: -0.28, -0.05), compared to those in the “original city center” cluster. The eXtreme Gradient Boosting models ranked exposures related to greenspaces, pocket parks, and road junctions as the top important factors influencing outcomes, and their relationships with outcomes were largely non-linear. More road junctions and more pocket parks correlated with higher total LTPA and LTPA. When the all-year normalized difference vegetation index within a 500 m buffer fell below 0.4, it correlated with higher levels of total LTPA, whereas above 0.4, it correlated with lower levels. To conclude, our findings revealed a positive correlation between urbanicity and physical activity in Finnish cities and decomposed this complexity into crucial determinants. Importance rankings and nonlinear patterns offer valuable insights for future policies and projects targeting physical inactivity.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The urban physical exposome and leisure-time physical activity in early midlife: a FinnTwin12 study

Wang,

Aaltonen,

Teeuwen

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Biodiversity can be defined as the variability within species (genetic), between species and between ecosystems [ 27 ]. As stated previously, it is generally acknowledged that the availability, quality, accessibility and proximity of green spaces determine the magnitude of their positive health effects [ 28 ]. However, the association between biodiversity within green spaces and health remains underexplored [ 24 , 29 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Longitudinal study of changes in greenness exposure, physical activity and sedentary behavior in the ORISCAV-LUX cohort study

van Beek,

Malisoux,

Klein

et al. 2024

Int J Health Geogr

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Greenness exposure has been associated with many health benefits, for example through the pathway of providing opportunities for physical activity (PA). Beside the limited body of longitudinal research, most studies overlook to what extent different types of greenness exposures may be associated with varying levels of PA and sedentary behavior (SB). In this study, we investigated associations of greenness characterized by density, diversity and vegetation type with self-reported PA and SB over a 9-year period, using data from the ORISCAV-LUX study (2007–2017, n = 628). Methods The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) short form was used to collect PA and SB outcomes. PA was expressed as MET-minutes/week and log-transformed, and SB was expressed as sitting time in minutes/day. Geographic Information Systems (ArcGIS Pro, ArcMap) were used to collect the following exposure variables: Tree Cover Density (TCD), Soil-adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI), and Green Land Use Mix (GLUM). The exposure variables were derived from publicly available sources using remote sensing and cartographic resources. Greenness exposure was calculated within 1000m street network buffers around participants’ exact residential address. Results Using Random Effects Within-Between (REWB) models, we found evidence of negative within-individual associations of TCD with PA (β = − 2.60, 95% CI − 4.75; − 0.44), and negative between-individual associations of GLUM and PA (β = − 2.02, 95% CI − 3.73; − 0.32). There was no evidence for significant associations between greenness exposure and SB. Significant interaction effects by sex were present for the associations between TCD and both PA and SB. Neighborhood socioeconomic status (NSES) did not modify the effect of greenness exposure on PA and SB in the 1000 m buffer. Discussion Our results showed that the relationship between greenness exposure and PA depended on the type of greenness measure used, which stresses the need for the use of more diverse and complementary greenness measures in future research. Tree vegetation and greenness diversity, and changes therein, appeared to relate to PA, with distinct effects among men and women. Replication studies are needed to confirm the relevance of using different greenness measures to understand its’ different associations with PA and SB.

show abstract

Greening South Asian cities for health: a study of urban green space usage and physical well-being

Niazi,

Khan

2024

Environ Dev Sustain

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The relation between proximity to and characteristics of green spaces to physical activity and health: A multi-dimensional sensitivity analysis in four European cities

Cited by 16 publications

References 39 publications

The urban physical exposome and leisure-time physical activity in early midlife: a FinnTwin12 study

The urban physical exposome and leisure-time physical activity in early midlife: a FinnTwin12 study

Longitudinal study of changes in greenness exposure, physical activity and sedentary behavior in the ORISCAV-LUX cohort study

Greening South Asian cities for health: a study of urban green space usage and physical well-being

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About